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Tue, 10 Nov, 2026 at 07:00 pm UTC-08:00

Powell's Presents: Laura Stanfill in Conversation With Michelle Ruiz Keil

  • Powell's Books, Inc. (Powell's City of Books) · Portland
Powell's Books, Inc. Publisher / Host Powell's Books, Inc.
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Powell's Presents: Laura Stanfill in Conversation With Michelle Ruiz Keil
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A bootlegger's daughter falls into a world of Tin Pan Alley music and mystery in Laura Stanfill’s unapologetic exploration of friendships, motherhood, and the way women care for each other.
"Poor quiet Violet, poor shrinking Violet, used to being cared for. Now there's no way around it. She must face the world like a real adult. Like an heiress."
Violet Radford, an introverted songwriter, is no stranger to grief. She's lost her mother, her best friend Minnow, and now her father. Growing up in the early 1900s and into the late '20s Prohibition era — when giggle water, speakeasies, and the fight for women's rights are the talk of the town — Violet is sober, disconnected, and adrift. It's only a matter of time before she loses herself in the solitude of her New Jersey estate.
Everything changes when Sally, Minnow's trouser-wearing teenage daughter, comes knocking, hoping to uncover the truth behind the explosion that killed Violet's father. With the door to friendship open, Sally and Violet search for the truth. Drawn into a deeper mystery, they stumble upon a discovery that threads a transformative counterpoint through the rhythm of their lives — a secret society of women called The Neighborhood Dames working just beneath the surface, hacking away at the patriarchy.
A dual timeline chock-full of brave women who defy societal expectations, The Neighborhood Dames (Ooligan Press) is a stirring exploration of friendship, music, and womanhood. Perfect for readers looking for queer and neurodivergent representation, and stories of fighting against oppression, Stanfill evokes The Great Gatsby in a storyline that centers on women's ambitions, self-discovery, and connections beyond romance.
Stanfill will be joined in conversation by Michelle Ruiz Keil, author of Summer in the City of Roses — with musical accompaniment by McLean Cannon.
Buy the book: https://www.powells.com/events/laura-stanfill-9781947845671
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Powell's Books, Inc. (Powell's City of Books), 1005 W Burnside ST,Portland,OR,United States

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